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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPORTSTICKER 1993 BASEBALL PREVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NATIONAL LEAGUE CAPSULES
BY DOUG MITTLER
SENIOR EDITOR
EASTERN DIVISION
================
PITTSBURGH PIRATES -- Manager: Jim Leyland (593-541), entering
eighth season with the Pirates. 1992 Finish: 96-66 (1st).
STRENGTHS -- The best manager in baseball in Leyland, who seeks
a fourth straight N.L. East title; shortstop Jay Bell and center
fielder Andy Van Slyke are the only stars left on the roster;
Number three starter Randy Tomlin won 14 games last season.
WEAKNESSES -- The starting pitching is hurting with the loss of
Doug Drabek. The projected ace of the staff, Zane Smith, still
has elbow trouble; loss of Jose Lind at second base and Barry
Bonds in the outfield leaves the team inexperienced at many
positions.
NEW FACES -- Signed pitcher John Candelaria (Los Angeles), and
outfielder Lonnie Smith (Atlanta).
------
MONTREAL EXPOS -- Manager: Felipe Alou (70-55), entering first
full season with the Expos. 1992 Finish: 87-75 (2nd).
STRENGTHS -- One of best young outfields in the major leagues in
Moises Alou, center fielder Marquis Grissom and emerging
superstar Larry Walker; Alou is popular with his young team;
second baseman DeLino Deshields hit .292.
WEAKNESSES -- Inexperience in the infield where Sean Berry and
Frank Bolick try to replace Tim Wallach at third and Wil Cordero
takes over for Spike Owen at shortstop; Lee Stevens, Archi
Cionfrocco and Greg Colbrunn are competing at first base; Closer
John Wetteland begins the season with a broken bone in his foot.
NEW FACES -- Acquired Bolick (Seattle), pitcher Mike Gardiner
(Boston) and catcher Tim Spehr (Kansas City).
------
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS -- Manager: Joe Torre (734-830), entering
fourth season with the Cardinals. 1992 Finish: 83-79 (3rd).
STRENGTHS -- The team is strong defensively up the middle with
Tom Pagnozzi at catcher, Ozzie Smith at shortstop and Ray
Lankford in center field; pitchers Rheal Cormier and Donovan
Osborne have potential and Lee Smith had 43 saves last season;
Bob Tewksbury overachieved with a 16-5 record and a 2.16 earned
run average.
WEAKNESSES -- The Cards were last in the league in homers last
season and sent power-hitting outfielder Felix Jose to Kansas
City for Gregg Jefferies. Lankford hit .293 but he and his
teammates must cut down on strikeouts.
NEW FACES -- Signed catcher Hector Villanueva (St. Louis),
pitcher Rob Murphy (Houston) and acquired Jefferies (Kansas
City).
------
CHICAGO CUBS -- Manager: Jim Lefebvre (311-337), entering second
season with the Cubs. 1992 Finish: 78-84 (4th).
STRENGTHS -- The infield of Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, Shawon
Dunston and Steve Buechele. The acquisition of pitcher Jose
Guzman and the emergence of Mike Morgan, a 16-game winner in
1992, will soften the blow from the loss of Cy Young winner Greg
Maddux.
WEAKNESSES -- The infield is no longer imposing if Sandberg
(broken hand) and Dunston (back) are not healthy. Both begin the
season the disabled list; despite playing in cozy Wrigley Field,
the Cubs lack power; no front-line center fielder.
NEW FACES -- Acquired pitcher Greg Hibbard (Florida), signed
Jose Guzman (Texas), catcher Steve Lake (Philadelphia), pitcher
Dan Plesac (Milwaukee), reliever Randy Myers (San Diego),
outfielders Candy Maldonado (Toronto) and Willie Wilson
(Oakland).
------
NEW YORK METS -- Manager: Jeff Torborg (479-526), entering
second season with the Mets. 1992 Finish: 72-90 (5th).
STRENGTHS -- The pitching staff is not as strong as in the mid
1980s, but other teams would not mind having Bret Saberhagen,
Dwight Gooden and Sid Fernandez as their first three starters;
Newly acquired shortstop Tony Fernandez is among the best;
Outfielder Bobby Bonilla is a better player than he showed in
1992.
WEAKNESSES -- The Mets are thin at middle relief; closer John
Franco is coming off elbow surgery; While Fernandez solves one
defensive problem, Howard Johnson is back at third base and
unproven Jeff Kent is at second.
NEW FACES -- Acquired Tony Fernandez (San Diego) and relief
pitcher Mike Maddux (San Diego); signed pitcher Frank Tanana
(Detroit) and outfielder Joe Orsulak (Baltimore).
------
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES -- Manager: Jim Fregosi (574-642),
entering second full season with the Phillies. 1992 Finish:
70-92 (6th).
STRENGTHS -- The Phillies have no trouble scoring runs with
Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk and Darren Daulton in the lineup. Kruk
hit .323 last season and Daulton drove in 109 runs; Third
baseman Dave Hollins drove in 93 runs in his first full season.
WEAKNESSES -- Dykstra's potential for injury; the pitching
staff, keyed by Terry Mulholland, is respectable but injury
prone and the bullpen is mediocre; Wes Chamblerlain was
inconsistent at best in right field last season.
NEW FACES -- Acquired pitchers Danny Jackson (Philadelphia) and
David West (Minnesota); signed outfielder Pete Incaviglia
(Houston), outfielder Milt Thompson (Houston), pitcher Larry
Andersen (San Diego) and outfielder Jim Eisenreich (Kansas
City).
------
FLORIDA MARLINS -- Manager: Rene Lachemann (207-274), entering
first season with the expansion Marlins.
STRENGTHS -- The Marlins will have a four-time All-Star catcher
in Benito Santiago; shortstop Walt Weiss is used to playing on
winning teams after his years in Oakland; Orestes Destrade led
the Japanese Pacific League in homers each of the last three
seasons.
WEAKNESSES -- The ace of the pitching staff is Charlie Hough,
whose record is 10 games below .500 the last five seasons; Club
went for younger players in the expansion draft and they will
take their lumps in 1993.
NEW FACES -- Everyone.
WESTERN DIVISION
================
ATLANTA BRAVES -- Manager: Bobby Cox (853-804), entering eighth
season with the Braves. 1992 Finish: 98-64 (1st).
STRENGTHS -- The addition of Greg Maddux gives the Braves a
starting rotation that could be among the best in major league
history. Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery are the
others; The outfield has four quality players -- Deion Sanders,
Otis Nixon, Ron Gant and David Justice -- to fit into three
positions.
WEAKNESSES -- Team chemistry could be more of a problem.
Outfielder David Justice reportedly is not a favorite of his
teammates. Those problems, however, tend to hit the surface only
when a team is losing; the club could be suspect defensively at
catcher if Greg Olson does not recover fully from a broken
ankle.
NEW FACES -- Signed Maddux (Cubs), infielder Bill Pecota (Mets),
pitcher Jay Howell (Dodgers), infielder Wally Backman (Phillies)
and pitcher Steve Bedrosian.
------
CINCINNATI REDS -- Manager: Tony Perez, entering first season
with the Reds. 1992 Finish: 90-72 (2nd).
STRENGTHS -- While not as good as Atlanta, the Reds boast three
quality starters in Jose Rijo, Tim Belcher and newly acquired
John Smiley; Barry Larkin is a premier shortstop and the Reds
addressed their shortage of power by acquiring Kevin Mitchell
from Seattle; The Reds have impressive overall speed with
Larkin, Roberto Kelly, Bip Roberts and Reggie Sanders.
WEAKNESSES -- Defense could be a problem in the outfield with
Mitchell in left and Sanders in right. With Norm Charlton gone,
the bullpen is average when you get past Rob Dibble.
NEW FACES -- acquired outfielder Roberto Kelly and pitcher Greg
Cadaret (New York Yankees) and outfielder Kevin Mitchell
(Seattle), signed outfielders Cecil Espy and Gary Varsho
(Pittsburgh), Smiley (Minnesota) and relievers Bill Landrum
(Montreal) and Jeff Reardon (Atlanta).
------
SAN DIEGO PADRES -- Manager: Jim Riggleman (4-8), entering first
full season with the Padres. 1992 Finish: 82-80 (3rd).
STRENGTHS -- Third baseman Gary Sheffield is one of baseball's
brightest stars after competing for the triple crown last
season; First baseman Fred McGriff hit 35 homers and drove in
104 runs; Tony Gwynn, now batting leadoff, will again be among
the league's leading hitters.
WEAKNESSES -- The economic recession. Padres owner Tom Werner
no longer has money to spare and has instituted an austerity
program that would make Ebenezer Scrooge proud. As a result,
morale is at an all-time low and most players want out of town.
NEW FACES -- Acquired pitcher Wally Whitehurst (New York Mets),
outfielder Phil Plantier (Boston); signed pitcher Scotreg
Swindell and holdover Pete Harnisch; The Astros have emerging
stars in Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Steve Finley and each
has significant big league experience thanks to the youth
program instituted a few years ago; new management willing to
spend money.
WEAKNESSES -- Andujar Cedeno hit just .173 as the starting
shortstop last season; Eddie Taubensee (.222) did not prove he
is the answer at catcher.
NEW FACES -- signed Drabek (Pittsburgh) and Swindell
(Cincinnati), outfielder Kevin Bass (New York Mets), shortstop
Jose Uribe (San Francisco), outfielder Chris James (San
Francisco); Acquired pitcher Tom Edens (Florida).
------
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS -- Manager: Dusty Baker, entering first
season with the Giants. 1992 Finish: 72-90 (5th).
STRENGTHS -- An explosive middle of the lineup with Barry Bonds,
Will Clark and Matt Williams (if he can bounce back from a poor
1992); the distraction of a possible franchise move is over, at
least for the time being.
WEAKNESSES -- The Giants used 16 different starting pitchers in
1992 and none has emerged as an ace for this season. The Giants
ranked ninth in league earned run average last season and
allowed a league high 128 homers; The bench is weak.
NEW FACES -- Signed Bonds (Pittsburgh), outfielder Dave Martinez
(Cincinnati), first baseman Todd Benzinger (Kansas City),
catcher Andy Allanson (Cleveland) and outfielder Mark Carreon
(Detroit).
------
LOS ANGELES DODGERS -- Manager: Tommy Lasorda (1,339-1,199),
entering 18th season with the Dodgers. 1992 Finish: 63-99
(6th).
STRENGTHS -- Rookie of the Year first baseman Eric Karros was
the team's most consistent performer last season; Darryl
Strawberry and Eric Davis begin the season without any major
ailments and will join Brett Butler in the outfield.
WEAKNESSES -- The Dodgers committed a major-league high 174
errors, 20 more than the next-worst club. The worst offender,
Jose Offerman, is back for another season at shortstop; The
pitching staff begins the year with several question marks. Orel
Hershiser must prove he is healthy and Ramon Martinez has saw
his win total decline from 20 in 1992 to eight last season; The
new third baseman, Tim Wallach, had career lows in homers (9),
R-B-I (59) and batting average (.223) last season.
NEW FACES -- Acquired second baseman Jody Reed (Colorado);
signed outfielder Cory Snyder (San Francisco), pitcher Todd
Worrell (St. Louis), third basman Wallach (Montreal), catcher
Lance Parrish (Seattle), pitchers Wally Ritchran players.
Andres Galarraga is the first baseman and Charlie Hayes will be
at third; David Nied is a quality pitching prospect who the
Atlanra Braves were forced to leave unprotected; Steve Reed set
a minor league record with 43 saves.
WEAKNESSES -- The pitching staff after Nied includes a host of
journeymen such as Bryn Smith and Bruce Ruffin; second baseman
Eric Young is one of several Rockies that are suspect
defensively; outfielder Alex Cole is with his fifth organization
in four years.
NEW FACES -- Everyone.